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Fit for a queen: royal style

From unique prints to fabulous hats, the British monarch’s fashion choices often show a sense of fun. Take a look through Queen Elizabeth II’s signature looks over the years.

Fit for a queen: royal style

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The queen's royal style

Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain has a long history of fashion. Both regal and dignified, a timeless elegance has become her trademark after more than 60 years on the throne. From unique prints to fabulous hats, she also manages to portray a sense of fun with her wardrobe choices. Take a look through the queen's signature style over the years.

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II arrives to unveil a plaque marking the 20th anniversary of the opening of the Channel Tunnel and the launch of international high speed rail services between the UK and mainland Europe at St Pancaras railway station in London, on June 5, 2014.

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Pretty in pink

Queen Elizabeth, in a chic pastel pink suit, arrives at the Elysee Palace in Paris, on June 5, 2014.

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Mellow yellow

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II holds her umbrella as she meets guests at Buckingham Palace in central London on June 3, 2014.

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Glove handles

Queen Elizabeth looks at a display during a visit to the Chelsea Flower Show on press day in London May 19, 2014.

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Decked out

Queen Elizabeth departs Westminster Abbey as Page of Honour Hugo Bertie carries her robes after attending the Order of the Bath Service on May 9, 2014 in London, England.

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Creme de la creme

Queen Elizabeth II arrives for an official visit to Felsted School on May 6, 2014 in Felsted, England.

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Peachy perfect

Britain's Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip are greeted by Dean of Windsor David Conner as they arrive to attend a recital by the Royal College of Organists to commemorate their 150th anniversary at St. George's chapel at Windsor Castle in Windsor, west of London on April 9, 2014.

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Lovely in lavender

Queen Elizabeth walks alongside Pope Francis as they enjoy their first meeting in the papal study of the Vatican on April 3, 2014.

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Full feathered

Queen Elizabeth walks in procession with Prince Charles and Prince William as they attend the annual Order of the Garter Service at St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England on June 17, 2013.

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Pretty in pink

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip visit the Medical Research Council in Cambridge, England, on May 23, 2013.

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Best feet forward

Queen Elizabeth II leaves an impression of her feet in a mold as Prince Philip looks on during their visit to St Michael's Mount, off the coast of Cornwall, on May 17, 2013.

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Horsing around

Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, and Queen Elizabeth II watch one of Queen Elizabeth's horses compete in the Royal Windsor Horse Show on May 10, 2013, in Windsor, England.

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Arrriving in style

Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth II arrive for the state opening of Parliament at the House of Lords on May 8, 2013 in London.

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Parliamentary procedure

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II smiles as she leaves the opening of Parliament in London on May 8, 2013.

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Welcome at Windsor

Queen Elizabeth II and Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, president of the United Arab Emirates, leave following a ceremonial welcome at Windsor Castle on April 30, 2013.

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The blues

Queen Elizabeth II smiles as she meets one of the taller members of the Great Britain team during a tour of the Athletes Village during the London 2012 Olympics Games on July 28, 2012. in London, England.

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Diamond day

Queen Elizabeth II waves to the crowd outside of St. Paul's Cathedral on June 5, 2012.following a national service of thanksgiving during her Diamond Jubilee. She celebrated the day without her husband, Prince Philip, who was taken to a hospital with a bladder infection and was kept under observation for a few days in a move the palace said was "precautionary."

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Boat parade

Queen Elizabeth arrives at Chelsea Pier in London, before boarding the royal barge to participate in the Diamond Jubilee River Pageant on June 3, 2012. More than 1,000 boats sail down the River Thames in a flotilla tribute to Queen Elizabeth II's 60 years on the throne that organizers are calling the biggest pageant on the river for 350 years.

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Jolly good time

Queen Elizabeth shares a laugh with Prince Edward and guests as she enjoys a race from her balcony at the Derby meeting at Epsom racecourse, near London on June 2, 2012. She wears a regal royal blue coat with matching hat over a white floral gown to watch the classic horse race. The race is the first engagement of the Diamond Jubilee central weekend which celebrates the 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's accession to the throne.

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Pretty in purple

Queen Elizabeth, in a lavender coat and hat, wearing her signature necklace, is cheered by crowds of admirers as she arrives at Nine Springs Park on May 2, 2012 in Yeovil, England. She made the visit with the Duke of Edinburgh as part of their Diamond Jubilee tour of the country.

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Diamond queen

Queen Elizabeth opens parliament May 2012 during her Diamond Jubilee year. For the annual event she dons her parliamentary robes, with a long train, and the imperial state crown which travels to the Houses of Parliament in its own carriage ahead of the queen's.

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Standing out

Queen Elizabeth stands out in one of her favorite colors after attending the annual Commonwealth Day Observance Service in March 2012 at Westminster Abbey.

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Family affair

For the first time, the queen is joined at an official event in March 2012 by both her granddaughter-in-law Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, and daughter-in-law, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall. The women were dressed in matching shades of blue, although the queen was the only one to accessorize with a hat and gloves.

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Tweed fan

On a day filled with official duties in London in February 2012, the queen steps out in a light brown coat dress and matching feathered hat. The color choice was striking for the monarch who usually opts for bright colors so her subjects can easily pick her out in the crowd.

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Horsing around

Queen Elizabeth jokes with her daughter-in-law Camilla at the Windsor Horse Show in May 2011. Known to be a fan of Hermes scarves, the queen often opts for a short scarf tied around her chin to protect her hair.

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Presidential visit

Queen Elizabeth welcomed President Barack Obama to Buckingham Palace in May 2011, and hosted a rare state banquet in honor of his visit. For the event she wore a lavishly embroidered silk crepe evening gown, and the Grand Duchess Vladimir tiara with diamonds and pearls.

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Grandmother of the groom

The queen chose a yellow wool dress and matching hat both designed by Angela Kelly for the wedding of her grandson, Prince William to Catherine Middleton on April 29, 2011. The supplier of the cream leather handbag the queen carried to the wedding reportedly saw a 60 percent increase in sales in the weeks after the event.

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Wedding festivities

Queen Elizabeth welcomed visiting foreign dignitaries to London on on April 28, 2011, the evening before Prince William's wedding. For the event she chose full-length blue dress with a metallic pattern. Her ever-present handbag matches the swirls in the dress.

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Royal red

Prince William shows off the Sea King search and rescue helicopter he pilots to his grandmother. Known to be close with her grandsons, the queen, wearing a matching coat dress and hat, dropped in for a short visit to the Royal Air Force base in Wales less than a month before William's wedding in April 2011.

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Plume of royalty

Queen Elizabeth II attends the Thistle Service at St Giles' Cathedral in July 2010 in Edinburgh, Scotland. The ceremony takes place every other year and the queen wears a hat with white feather plume and long, velvet robe.

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Sparkling in sequins

Looking regal in a sequined dress and white gloves, Queen Elizabeth attends a reception recognizing the work of the Duke of Edinburgh during a tour of Slovenia in October 2008.

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Remembering good times

On their 60th wedding anniversary, the queen and Prince Philip visited Broadlands, where they spent their first night of marriage in 1947. The queen is the first British monarch to reach her diamond wedding anniversary.

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Making it legal

With considerably less fanfare than at his first wedding, Prince Charles married Camilla Parker Bowles at Windsor Castle in April 2005. The queen opted for an off-white coat dress to attend the blessing at a church, although she sat out the couple's civil ceremony.

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Island visit

The queen chose a pastel yellow and green silk dress with a matching hat for a visit to tropical Jamaica in February 2002. She accessorized with a pair of diamond brooches.

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Opera buff

Queen Elizabeth attends the opera in a silver patterned dress during her first official visit to Hungary in May 1993.

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Ruby red

Queen Elizabeth poses in her Burmese ruby tiara for a portrait taken at her Sandringham estate in 1993. She commissioned the tiara in 1973 and it incorporated 96 rubies that were given to the queen as a gift from the Burmese people on the occasion of her wedding.

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Ladies in white

The queen, dressed in her best formal attire arrives with Princess Diana in a carriage to open Parliament in 1991.

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Horsing around

Queen Elizabeth takes President Ronald Reagan on an hour-long ride through the grounds of Windsor Castle in June 1982. Known to be an accomplished rider, the queen is often pictured in her traditional riding gear - knee-high boots, tweed jacket and scarf.

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Fairytale wedding

The newly named Princess Diana was the star of the show, but Queen Elizabeth looked stunning in her own right in a light blue dress, matching hat and double strand of pearls at the wedding of her eldest son, Prince Charles in August 1982.

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Family jewels

The queen wears a royal blue dress and matching turban during her visit to Saudi Arabia in February 1979. She accessorized with a favorite triple strand of pearls given to her by her father in 1935, and the Prince Albert sapphire brooch, which was a wedding gift from Prince Albert to Queen Victoria.

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Ship ahoy

Queen Elizabeth chose a colorful patterned dress, white gloves and tiara to greet the prime minister of Bahrain, the Emir of Bahrain, and the heir apparent, together with Prince Philip on board her ship the Britannia during her state visit to Bahrain in February 1979.

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In the wild

Queen Elizabeth makes a rare appearance in pants on a safari with Prince Philip during their state visit to Zambia in 1979.

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Sunny disposition

Queen Elizabeth turned heads in a yellow dress and matching turban during a state visit to Mexico in 1975. Turbans were a popular accessory choice for the queen who is rarely seen in public without a head covering.

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Heading home

Queen Elizabeth arrives at King's Cross railway station in London with her four corgi dogs after vacationing at her Balmoral Castle in Scotland in October 1969.

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Stand out queen

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip made an official visit to Malta in November 1967. The couple lived there on and off for two years after their wedding and the queen has remarked that it was one of her favorite times in their marriage. For the warm weather, she paired a straw hat with a turquoise jacket adorned with diamond brooches, and her signature triple strand of pearls.

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Favorite companions

Queen Elizabeth II walks with her dog Wren at the Open Stake Retriever Trials on her Balmoral estate in October 1967. For the relaxed atmosphere, the queen tied a scarf around her head, one of her signature looks throughout her reign.

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Spring flowers

Wearing a pastel blue coat dress and cap covered in colorful pastel flowers, Queen Elizabeth and King Faisal of Saudi Arabia review the Royal Horse Artillery In Hyde Park in May 1967.

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Pretty in pink

Ever the fan of bright colors, Queen Elizabeth stands out in hot pink on a visit to a model village in Jaipur, also known as the "pink city," during a royal tour of India and Pakistan in January 1961.

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Visit to Italy

Queen Elizabeth II And Prince Philip visit the Italian president in Castelporziano, Italy In May 1961. For the occasion, she paired an ornate hat with a simple print, belted dress.

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Hat and gloves

A year after her coronation, Queen Elizabeth II visited Australia. In the 1950s and 1960s she often wore close fitting hats that matched her suit, and was rarely seen without gloves.

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Loyal partner

Prince Philip stands beside his newly coronated wife, Queen Elizabeth II in Buckingham Palace. The queen wore a necklace made up of 25 diamonds and a central drop-shaped pendant of 22.48 carats, originally created for Queen Victoria.

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Coronation day

For her coronation ceremony on June 4, 1953, more than a year after her father's death, the queen again turned to Norman Hartnell to design her gown. Hartnell, who had designed her wedding dress, spent months embroidering the emblems of Great Britain and the Commonwealth on the white satin. The dress was also encrusted with pearls and crystals.

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Becoming queen

The official portrait of Queen Elizabeth II taken in February 1952 after the death of her father and upon her ascension to the throne. Her sleeveless dress with a full skirt is accentuated by the royal jewels that included a diamond tiara, diamond necklace and bracelet.

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It's a girl!

Princess Elizabeth, in a jaunty hat, shows off her new baby daughter, Princess Anne, on the day of her christening in October 1950. The lace christening gown is a royal family heirloom, and was originally worn by Queen Victoria's eldest daughter in 1841, as well as by Elizabeth herself.

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Romantic walk

Ever formal even while on their honeymoon, Princess Elizabeth and the newly named Duke of Edinburgh take a stroll on the day after their wedding through the grounds of Broadlands, the Duke's uncle's home.

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Here comes the bride

Princess Elizabeth wed Philip Mountbatten in 1947 in Westminster Abbey. Designed by Norman Hartnell, the dress was made of ivory satin and embroidered with flowers and thousands of pearls imported from the U.S. The queen famously saved her ration cards in order to buy the material used in the dress. The diamond tiara originally belonged to her grandmother, Queen Mary, and was then handed down to Elizabeth's mother who lent it to her daughter for the wedding.

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Young and in love

Princess Elizabeth shows off her platinum and diamond engagement ring after announcing her engagement to Navy officer and son of royalty Philip Mountbatten. The diamonds in the ring came from a tiara belonging to Philip's mother, Princess Andrew of Greece. Elizabeth and Philip, who are cousins, first met in 1934 at the wedding of the Duke of Kent, and then saw each other again in 1939. In 1946 they became secretly engaged, but held off on the announcement until July 1947.

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Nice day for a wedding

A year before her own nuptials, Princess Elizabeth, left, along with her aunt Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent, and sister Princess Margaret attended the wedding of a friend at Westminster Abbey in November 1946.

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Royal bridesmaid

Wearing a simple ankle-length dress and garland of flowers in her hair, Princess Elizabeth serves as bridesmaid to friends at the Savoy Hotel in London in May 1946.

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Practical princess

In 1945, Princess Elizabeth joined the Army's Auxilliary Territorial Service as a mechanic. She was one of 200,000 women who joined the service at that time. The women wore khaki belted jackets, skirts, tie up shoes and caps.

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Guiding the nation

With the country in the midst of war, Princess Elizabeth and her sister, Princess Margaret, pose in the uniforms of the Girl Guides, the female equivalent of the Scouts. The queen joined as a child and remained active throughout her youth, earning several badges, including a boating permit.

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Surprise coronation

After the abdication of Elizabeth's uncle, King George VI became king on May 12, 1937. In a matter of months, Princess Elizabeth was suddenly catapulted into the role of heir to the throne. The 11-year-old princess (standing next to her younger sister Margaret) wore a long dress with a train to the event that was held at Westminster Abbey.